The route to Sanya was not short. Li Haochen fueled his boat, the Star, at the Jushan dock, not far from the village, before setting off.
While refueling, he bought a bowl of beef offal and lotus root from a roadside stall. It was incredibly soft and delicious.
Returning, the boat was refueled and then they set off officially. Maintaining maximum speed, no expense spared, he had to complete registration by 5 PM on the 15th, or his participation would be canceled. m..oΓg
Taking advantage of the signal, he called Murong Yanran and the others to report his itinerary, then focused on sailing. He sailed for seven hours, day into night, until his backside was numb.
He stopped the boat, dropped anchor, stood up, stretched his waist and neck, and went to the kitchen. Dinner was simple yet luxurious, as everything was local produce, even the rice, which was their own ivory fragrant rice.
He sliced some cured meat and sausages, added a moderate amount of soy sauce and peanut oil, steamed them on top of the rice, and pan-fried some local eggs. It was perfect. If only he had pork bones, a whole pork bone, *Niudali*, and *Fuling* soup would have made it complete.
Soon, the aroma of homemade cured meat and sausages filled the cabin. Li Haochen was already salivating, holding his bowl and chopsticks, watching the countdown on the rice cooker display.
Beep beep ~ beep beep, the sound Li Haochen had been longing for finally arrived. He eagerly opened the rice cooker, and immediately ten times the fragrance erupted with the steam.
Li Haochen took a deep breath. "Ah, that's the smell, it's perfect, I wouldn't trade it for ten thousand."
Ignoring the heat, he picked up a piece and shoved it into his mouth. His mouth danced like it was performing, moving from side to side, unwilling to spit it out.
"Ah ~ refreshing."
This ivory fragrant rice was truly excellent, with plump grains, just the right firmness, and a rich rice fragrance. When cooking, one must be careful not to use too much water, just enough to press the palm of your hand. However, this rice yielded less cooked rice, so one needed to measure more grains.
With the fragrant rice, and a little of the soy sauce from steaming the sausages poured over it, the taste was unforgettable. A bite of cured meat, a mouthful of rice, a piece of fried egg – eating food, feeling happiness.
Leaving no grain behind was the greatest respect for food, a principle Li Haochen had always followed, and tonight was no exception. Except for a little soy sauce left, everything was wiped clean. If not for the insufficient amount of rice, even the soy sauce would have been gone.
After eating and cleaning up, it wasn't too late, so Li Haochen decided to sail a bit further.
Navigating unfamiliar waters in the dark made him uneasy. Li Haochen didn't dare to go too fast, maintaining 25 knots. Three hours later, with the help of the fish finder, he found a spot with decent resources and dropped anchor.
Li Haochen entered his space, got some mussels, crushed them, put them in the bait box, and cast all the nets. He wasn't fishing tonight; he needed to conserve his energy for the next day's travel. After a shower, he lay down to sleep.
The next morning, Li Haochen woke up early. To save time on cooking lunch, he made a large breakfast. The leftovers were kept warm in the rice cooker plugged in at the tatami area.
He pulled up the nets. The catch was decent: about ten small groupers, three black sea breams weighing around two pounds each, and seven red crabs. There were also a few white eels, but they were small. He threw them all into his space and then set off.
He traveled for more than ten hours, from eight in the morning until past nine at night. He was exhausted, his eyes bloodshot, and his energy levels very low.
Li Haochen didn't cast his nets that night, nor did he shower. He just collapsed into bed to rest, too tired, and was snoring within seconds.
Waking up in the morning, he stepped onto the deck to feel the warm sunlight. The chill in his body dissipated. He had planned to do a shuttlecock exercise, but looking at the time, he decided against it; rushing was more important.
While Li Haochen was rushing, in the lobby of the Sanya Half-Mountain Half-Island Yachting Port Resort Hotel, contestants from across Asia were arriving one after another. Although each region and country only had 8 contestants, the total number was still very large. To ensure safety and a quiet resting environment, the organizing committee, the China Angling Association, had put in great effort and booked the entire resort hotel.
In the lobby, a middle-aged man paced anxiously. "Why can't I get through?"
"Director Liu, what time is it? If we don't decide soon, we'll be one person short. It's still possible to make a change. My apprentice, though not at our level, is at least seven-eighths as good. You've seen him. Hurry up and replace him."
The speaker was Zhang Yuan, a well-known sea fishing master in China in recent years. He had been resentful of Li Haochen's sudden intervention and taking his apprentice's spot. Now that he found an opportunity, he was using his influence to pressure Liu Qinghe.
"That's right, Director Liu. Registration closes in about twenty minutes. I think Master Zhang's apprentice is also a good candidate," echoed Zhao Lei, another Chinese participant in the competition.
The other five contestants remained silent. They felt it didn't matter much whether one person was there or not, because for many years, the China Angling Association had not entered the top three, with their best result being fifth. Therefore, they sat calmly on the sofas, waiting for Liu Qinghe's decision.
Liu Qinghe was already wavering. He was under immense pressure this time. The superiors wanted a top-three finish. He hadn't wanted to take on this task, but was forced to. If he failed to meet the leadership's goals, his chances of further advancement would be a pipe dream.
The reason he hadn't decided to replace someone was that Li Haochen was his strong recommendation, and he hadn't expected him to be so unreliable.
"Alas... it seems I'll have to tend to flowers and walk birds and retire after this," Liu Qinghe lamented with a bitter smile, unwilling but resigned to reality.
Judging by Liu Qinghe's expression, it was not difficult to guess that he had made his decision. Zhang Yuan and his apprentice exchanged glances, a smile appearing on their faces.
Just as they were about to celebrate, a figure ran towards them. This person was Li Haochen, who had arrived just in time.
"Glad I'm not late."
Without resting, Li Haochen apologized to everyone. "Sorry, my phone was broken, so I couldn't contact you."
Liu Qinghe was displeased, but since the person had arrived, he said nothing. "Since you're here, come with me to register."
Zhang Yuan and his apprentice's faces turned as black as pigs' livers, filled with immense resentment towards Li Haochen.
After successfully completing the procedures, Li Haochen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Introduced by Liu Qinghe, he greeted his teammates one by one. However, Zhang Yuan's inexplicable hostility left him somewhat puzzled.
"Alright, everyone is here. These are your room cards. After dinner, come to my room for a meeting."